A project in Britain that paired seniors and gardening enthusiasts increased the quality of life of both and saved healthcare funds, officials said.

Sarah Jackson, a horticulturalist, found volunteers who had no access to land to plant a garden with older people who wanted to maintain their gardens but could no longer work on them anymore. 

Three years later, Jackson said not only did the elderly in the program improve their mobility, but with their increased contact with the younger gardeners they were less isolated and showed fewer signs of depression, The Daily Telegraph reported.

According to the paper, four out of five of the older people said it had helped them maintain or even improve their physical activity and 83 percent said it had made them more mobile. The same proportion said it had helped reduce or maintain their levels of anxiety.

Jackson said one of the participants with cancer and heart condition said her quality of life improved by working in the garden with others.

“She (the participant) said to me on more than one occasion: ‘This project saved my life,’” said Jackson

An official audit of the project -- involving 46 older people in a single borough in south London -- concluded it could have saved the taxpayer as much as $780,000 a year in that area.

Paul Burstow, the care minister, praised the project and said similar programs could be set up across the country involving other areas besides gardening as part of an overhaul of the social care system. (UPI)